At a glanceMelanie Ward is a Labour MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, and has represented the seat for 2 years. They have cast 436 votes in Commons divisions (76% attendance), tabled 80 written questions and registered 6 financial interests.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; Melanie Ward did not vote in 139. A rebellion is a vote against the way most of their own party voted; free votes, where no party line applies, are left out.
Party-loyalty figures are our own analysis of the official voting records (recorded votes only; they do not describe the formal whip). How we work this out.
Biography
Current roles
- Courts and Tribunals Bill Committee since 18 Mar 2026
- Ecclesiastical Committee Committee since 3 Apr 2025
- Labour Party since 4 Jul 2024
- Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Sojan Joseph
Labour
100.0% · 427 of 427 shared votes
-
Liz Twist
Labour
100.0% · 419 of 419 shared votes
-
Sean Woodcock
Labour
100.0% · 413 of 413 shared votes
-
Lola McEvoy
Labour
100.0% · 405 of 405 shared votes
-
Paul Waugh
Labour (Co-op)
100.0% · 403 of 403 shared votes
Votes least like
-
George Freeman
Conservative
0.8% · 2 of 236 shared votes
-
Sir Mel Stride
Conservative
0.9% · 2 of 233 shared votes
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Sir Roger Gale
Conservative
1.1% · 3 of 273 shared votes
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Sir Oliver Dowden
Conservative
1.3% · 4 of 302 shared votes
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Chris Philp
Conservative
1.4% · 4 of 290 shared votes
Alignment figures are our own analysis of the official voting records (recorded votes only; they do not describe the formal whip). How we work this out.
Register of financial interests
From the official Register; shown as registered.
Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources2
- Great Britain China Centre - £1,100.00 (registered 24 Nov 2025)
- Great Britain China Centre - £1,350.00 (registered 21 Aug 2025)
Visits outside the UK4
- International visit to Syria between 29 June 2026 and 02 July 2026 (registered 7 Jul 2026)
- International visit to Qatar between 05 December 2025 and 08 December 2025 (registered 19 Dec 2025)
- International visit to Saudi Arabia between 30 September 2025 and 03 October 2025 (registered 23 Oct 2025)
- International visit to United States between 17 September 2025 and 21 September 2025 (registered 13 Oct 2025)
Written questions
Written question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consideration she has given to appointing a new British ambassador to Syria.
Awaiting an answer from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Breast Cancer: Research
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research into treatment for lobular breast cancer.
Awaiting an answer from the Department of Health and Social Care.
International Criminal Court
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK is taking to support the International Criminal Court.
Answer · 17 Jul 2026
The UK continues to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and its independence, and we welcome their ongoing investigations in Sudan, Libya and Ukraine. This is reflected in our practical support for their activities, including witne...
Defence: Manufacturing Industries
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration he has given to the development of skills required by the defence industry in Fife.
Answer · 20 Jul 2026
The UK Government recognises how important the defence industry in Fife is for the UK’s national security, which is illustrated by the Type 31 frigate programme. That is why, alongside the launch of the Scotland Defence Growth Deal on 12 March, we announc...
Energy: Prices
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans she has to increase support for families in the context of trends in the cost of energy caused by the conflict in Iran.
Answer · 4 Jun 2026
The Government recognises the impact of the Iran conflict on households across the UK, not least as a result of pushing up on global energy prices.. A rapid de-escalation of the conflict remains the best way to protect people from rising bills. To protect...
Defence: Expenditure
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in defence spending on Wales.
Answer · 22 Apr 2026
This UK Labour Government promised a Defence Growth Deal for Wales and we have delivered on that commitment.Wales is central to the security of the United Kingdom and I’m proud that our Defence Growth Deal, backed by £50 million of UK Government investmen...
Driving Tests
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will consider extending the validity of driving theory tests from two years to three years.
Answer · 26 Feb 2026
The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a customer’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation, a...
Gaza: Doctors
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on access to Gaza for a) Palestinian doctors and b) international doctors.
Answer · 24 Feb 2026
I refer the Hon Member to the statement to the House I made on 5 January, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and several of her counterparts on 30 December, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jointstatemen...
Speeches in the chamber
16 Jul 2026 Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment
It is a pleasure to speak in this debate and to hear Members’ warm recollections of Sir David Amess, including from you, Madam Deputy Speaker. He was obviously widely respected across this Chamber. Last month, we also remembered my dear fr…
15 Jul 2026 Defence Skills: Fife
Given the threats that our country faces, in March the Secretary of State announced welcome funding for two defence technical excellence colleges, one to be in the east of Scotland. Fife college at Kirkcaldy, in particular, stands ready to…
15 Jul 2026 Defence Skills: Fife
2. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote skills development in the defence industry in Fife.
9 Jul 2026 Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban
Will the shadow Minister give way?
9 Jul 2026 Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban
The shadow Minister has been talking about the views of our allies in the region. I wonder when he last met or spoke to our allies across the Arab world, because they have been crying out for many of the actions that our Government have ta…
9 Jul 2026 Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban
I rise to speak in support of a UK ban on trade in goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for securing the debate and for all her work on the issue. …
7 Jul 2026 UK Aid Policy: Global Funding Trends
The Minister is talking about the importance of long-term partnership. Last week, I was proud to lead the first British parliamentary delegation to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime. I had a number of conversations with Ministers, w…
16 Jun 2026 Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill
I certainly agree. Misinformation and disinformation are a huge challenge to our democracy and our country. We know that many enemy nations, such as Russia and Iran, are seeking to exploit loopholes, and I believe the Government have to ta…
16 Jun 2026 Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill
Madam Deputy Speaker, I hope you will not mind if I take a moment to reflect on the fact that today is the 10th anniversary of the murder of our dear friend Jo Cox. I was lucky to serve alongside Jo on the board of the Labour Women’s Netwo…
10 Jun 2026 Railways Bill
My hon. Friend is making some important points about railway accessibility, which is also an issue for my constituents, particularly at the railway stations in Burntisland, Cowdenbeath and Kinghorn. That is why I added my name to new claus…
10 Jun 2026 Railways Bill
My hon. Friend is referring to the importance of railway accessibility. I wish to put on record, as I have been advised to by the Public Bill Office and the Clerks, that my name has been mistakenly added to new clauses 22, 59, 60, 61 and 6…
10 Jun 2026 Engagements
Happy birthday to you, Mr Speaker. Let me associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks about the situation in Northern Ireland, and about the Scottish football team. [Laughter.] The existence of Israeli settlements and settler vio…
10 Jun 2026 Engagements
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 10 June.
9 Jun 2026 Middle East
I welcome the new package of important sanctions announced by the Foreign Secretary. As I raised with Government Ministers last week, and as I discussed with the Foreign Secretary last night, last week I submitted a formal complaint to the…
8 Jun 2026 Digital Safety: Children
To test Instagram’s claim that its teen accounts provide age-appropriate content, I set up a teen account as a 17-year-old boy called David. Without searching for anything, it took just 11 minutes of scrolling for David to be shown antisem…
2 Jun 2026 Preparedness for National Emergencies
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Barker. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) on securing this debate. Before I was elected to this House, I served as a humanitarian a…
21 May 2026 Middle East
I commend the Government’s action on Iran; they are doing the right thing where others in this Chamber would have led us down a different and dangerous path. I agree with the Minister’s words on Palestine and Lebanon, but we are long pa…
21 May 2026 Business of the House
There has been some talk about football. I think we should all be celebrating the glorious victory of Raith Rovers in the Challenge cup. Results from a survey of Burntisland residents that I conducted suggest that 87% of people experien…
20 May 2026 Defence Readiness
My hon. Friend is right. He is a doctor himself, and I know how well he understands and how much he feels the need for the world to do better—to make change in this area, and stop just talking about making change. It is time for much bo…
20 May 2026 Defence Readiness
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point about soft power and why it is such an important complement to hard power. It has become common to say that the rules-based order is dead or dying, but we must stand with our allies to preserve an…
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Expenses
Contact & offices
Parliamentary office
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Constituency office
287-289 High Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife, KY1 1JH
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Melanie Ward, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is Melanie Ward?
Melanie Ward is a Member of Parliament representing Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy in the House of Commons. See Melanie Ward's official Parliament profile.
Which party does Melanie Ward represent?
Melanie Ward sits as Labour. See Melanie Ward's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does Melanie Ward represent?
Melanie Ward is the Member of Parliament for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy. See Melanie Ward's official Parliament profile.
How long has Melanie Ward been an MP?
Melanie Ward has served in the House of Commons for 2 years. See Melanie Ward's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for Melanie Ward?
Melanie Ward has 6 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See Melanie Ward's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.